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Hello there. Haha. I should have posted up the pictures from my umrah trip but there has been a lot of technical glitches. Like for instance, some of the pictures refuse to show on my laptop though it can still be viewed on the camm. And I've yet to try them out on all the other comps. So that may take awhile. On top of that, there are like too many pics. I tried to settle with a few of them that I can rip off from my comp, even made two drafts on blogger but then being the most fickle-minded idiot, I did not proceed to publish an entry with them. Just because.

Anyhow, the trip there was an eye-opener. I still cannot get over the fact that I saw the Kaa'bah with my very own eyes. The feeling was just WOW. You gotta be there in the flesh to see it for yourself to know how it feels. And to be at such a close proximity with it is just so surreal. I should know coz I couldn't stop taking subsequent glances at it everytime I'm inside Masjidil Haram. Other than that, I get to kiss Hajar Aswad. Something I never thought I'd get to do. Coz the crowd was really scary, I was so afraid that I would just trip and fall and be trampled on. Even managed to get into Hijir Ismail to do our prayers despite having to brave through the endless throng of people who are doing their Tawaf. The only one spot we missed out on was Multazam. Me and my mum were already so close but the guard decided to shoo us away. Not our luck I guess.

Madinah was yet another breathtaking scenery on its own. Especially at Masjid Nabawi. The day I set foot there, it was very empty and it was windy and chilly despite the blazing sun. A magical combination I have to say. The mosque is a spectacular structure on its own if you're to look at it from the outside. It is even more amazing inside with its marble surfaces and the pillars seem to have parts of it covered with what seem like gold. I'd like to go on every single detail of my experience there but that would take me forever. So there.

Other than the two main places that we went to (that is Mekah and Madinah), we also took a day off and headed for Al-Ula to visit the ruins of Mada'in Saleh which is a major rock settlement sprawled on a huge piece of land. Most of the rock structures houses the tombs of the people of that time as well as the palaces for the royalty. I thought that in order for one to be able to appreciate the entire stretch of rock settlement, a background research has to be done in order to understand the rich historical background. I came in rather unprepared and so I wasn't able to piece together all the information given to us. In fact, I forgot half the things the tour guide told us about Mada'in Saleh. Hahz.

Just so you know, some of the rock structures bears a resemblance of animals, and what seem like mystical creatures and also of people (of that time perhaps). Most of this structures turned out they way they did naturally with no help from Man. Sure, when I first saw them, Mount Rushmore came to my mind immediately. But the tourguide later confirmed that the structures took on those shapes NOT with the help of any form of tools. Maybe the climate and chemical reaction of natural elements played a part in the formation of the rock structures too. But mostly all I could ever think of is how Allah has been able to pave the way for such a majestic rock settlement to be established at that point in time.

So those were three of the main highlights for my entire trip. And then comes the nitty gritty stuffz. Like how I found it to be a refreshing change to travel on a strecth of road (by bus) which are flanked by empty pieces of land. Mostly barren of any activities. Just the sand and rocky mountains. And how it is pitched black when night falls with no form of streetlights dotting the road. Just the stars twinkiling brightly against the dark velvet sky. And my amazement looking at pigeons (hundreds of them!) flocking their way towards the entrance of the mosques, greeting all of us who were on our way to do our prayers. They are always there, it's symbolic somehow.

Hokay, I'll end here for now. Will update with the pictures on separate entries.